STARGAZERS along the Costa del Sol could miss Spain’s first total solar eclipse in more than a century as cloudy skies threaten to obscure the event, the national weather agency has warned.
A special forecast issued by AEMET ahead of the eclipse said skies over Malaga, Granada and Almeria could be heavily overcast next Wednesday, making the event difficult to watch from the ground.
The agency has issued similar warnings for the Cantabrian coast, parts of Galicia, the Pyrenees and inland areas of Valencia province.
AEMET said much of the rest of the country can expect clearer skies, although it stressed conditions could still change significantly before August 12.
The forecast comes as millions of people across Spain prepare to watch one of the most significant astronomical events visible from the country in decades.
The eclipse on August 12 will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Spain in more than a century, with a path of totality – the narrow area where the Moon completely blocks the Sun – set to cross a large portion of the country.
The path will stretch from Galicia in the west across northern and eastern Spain towards the Mediterranean and the Balearic Islands.
Within this band, daylight will turn pitch-black during totality, while other areas of the country can still expect a striking phenomenon, with more than 95% of the sun’s surface obscured by the moon.
Cities including A Coruña, Oviedo, Leon, Bilbao, Burgos, Zaragoza, Valencia and Castellon will experience totality, while much of southern Spain will see a partial eclipse.
The event will take place relatively late in the day, with the sun already low above the horizon as totality approaches.
In Andalucia, AEMET’s forecast varies significantly between coastal and inland areas.
The Mediterranean coast around Malaga, Granada and Almeria is among the areas where clouds are considered more likely, while some inland areas have better prospects.
AEMET has divided the country into three broad forecast zones, ranging from areas where clear skies are expected to regions where cloud development remains more uncertain.
The less certain areas include several mountain ranges in eastern Spain, where clouds could develop during the afternoon before potentially clearing later.
The Cantabrian and Galician coasts currently have some of the highest chances of cloud cover, according to the agency.
There is also another weather factor for anyone planning to watch outdoors, with high temperatures expected across much of Spain.
AEMET spokesperson Ruben del Campo said temperatures could exceed 35C across large parts of the interior, reaching between 38C and 40C in parts of the Ebro, Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys.
Fire danger is also expected to be ‘very high or extreme’ across much of the country, according to AEMET.
The agency will update its special eclipse forecast daily, with more detailed predictions expected as August 12 approaches.
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